DEVELOPING 'Numerous' officers shot in 'active situation' in Charlotte, North Carolina, police say
'Numerous law enforcement officers' have been shot in an 'active situation' in Charlotte, North Carolina, police say.
The United Kingdom's antitrust watchdog has blocked Facebook's acquisition of Giphy and ordered the social network to sell off the GIF-sharing platform, saying the deal hurts social media users and advertisers by stifling competition for animated images.
The Competition and Markets Authority said Tuesday that the deal would let Facebook "increase its already significant market power" by denying or limiting other platforms' access to Giphy GIFs and driving traffic to Facebook-owned sites. It has noted previously that there's only one other big provider of GIFs, Google's Tenor.
The regulator also was concerned that the deal removed potential competition from the U.K.'s 7 billion pound (US$9.3 billion) display advertising market, of which Facebook controls half.
It's the first time the watchdog has sought to unwind a tech deal, marking an escalation by regulators seeking to tame digital giants.
Facebook, which has been renamed Meta, said it disagreed with the decision and is considering all its options, including an appeal.
"Both consumers and Giphy are better off with the support of our infrastructure, talent, and resources," the company said. "Together, Meta and Giphy would enhance Giphy's product for the millions of people, businesses, developers and API partners in the UK and around the world who use Giphy every day, providing more choices for everyone."
After consulting with other businesses and groups and assessing alternative solutions proposed by Facebook, the watchdog said it "concluded that its competition concerns can only be addressed by Facebook selling Giphy in its entirety to an approved buyer."
Stuart McIntosh, chair of the watchdog's independent group that carried out the investigation, said the deal "has already removed a potential challenger in the display advertising market."
"Without action, it will also allow Facebook to increase its significant market power in social media even further, through controlling competitors' access to Giphy GIFs," he said. "By requiring Facebook to sell Giphy, we are protecting millions of social media users and promoting competition and innovation in digital advertising."
New York-based Giphy's library of short looping videos, or GIFs, are a popular tool for internet users sending messages or posting on social media.
The two sides have waged a bitter battle over the deal, reportedly worth $400 million.
The Competition and Markets Authority said in a provisional decision in August that Facebook should be forced to sell Giphy. The social giant responded with a strongly worded letter, saying the provisional decision contained "fundamental errors."
Last month, the watchdog fined Facebook 50.5 million pounds ($67.4 million) for failing to provide information needed for the investigation, saying the company's failure to comply was deliberate.
The watchdog has said that prior to the deal, Giphy had been considering expanding its advertising services to other countries, including the U.K. That would have added a new player to the market and encouraged more innovation from social media sites and advertisers, but Facebook terminated Giphy's ad partnerships after announcing the deal, it said.
'Numerous law enforcement officers' have been shot in an 'active situation' in Charlotte, North Carolina, police say.
Toronto police say 12 people are facing a combined 102 charges in connection with an investigation into a major credit fraud scheme.
A Calgary elementary school principal has been charged with possession of child pornography, authorities announced Monday.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) is going to audit Saskatchewan for not paying carbon levies on home heating, Premier Scott Moe said Monday.
One of the winners of a historic US$1.3 billion Powerball jackpot last month is an immigrant from Laos who has had cancer for eight years and had his latest chemotherapy treatment last week.
B.C. Premier David Eby has joined other politicians denouncing remarks at a demonstration in Vancouver where protesters chanted “long live Oct. 7,” praising that day's attacks by Hamas on Israel.
Norovirus is spreading at a 'higher frequency' than expected in Canada, specifically, in Ontario and Alberta, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Moderate drinking was once thought to have benefits for the heart, but better research methods have thrown cold water on that.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he's still not ready to say whether his caucus will support the federal budget, citing a need for further 'clarity' over whether the Liberals intend to address concerns surrounding the Canada Disability Benefit program.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.